Chapter 8 - Pillow Talk

When Sana woke up, she felt his hand coiled around her waist. She was absolutely naked, and Zahar was reading next to her. "Did- did anything happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you- uh. Did we do it?"

"Oh. You're still a virgin if that matters to you." Zahar said, reading the summarized news of the Empire one of the aides brought in. It gave Zahar an overview of the situation in the Empire. He was a Zenith Emperor, and naturally his holiday plans were larger than just the small city of Koolan.

Sana's face was a little pink, and instead, she crawled and tried to read what he's reading. "Missives about the Empire?"

"Naturally. One of the aides told me your father wanted you to go to the Roaring Dragon Sect in two months."

"That was the initial plan." Sana said. Now that she is this man's concubine, whether she went to the sect is up to her new master. A large part of her still wanted to go to the Roaring Dragon Sect. "I am not sure if father has other plans, now."

Zahar looked at the beauty in his arms, and smiled. "I will have your father write a recommendation letter for me. I shall join as a fellow outer disciple. Great Sects like that should have many other beauties there. I shall naturally claim them too."

Sana's face turned red as she thought of this man surrounded by a bevy of beauties, and she blurted out her thoughts. "Shameless! You already have one and you still want more!"

Zahar laughed, and his arm tugged her waist. He pulled her closer, so close that they almost kissed. "I like it when my concubines are honest."

She flushed red.

He leaned back against the soft pillow on the back, and pulled Sana closer. Sana had never felt a man hold her this way, so she turned absolutely red. The way his left hand held her waist made it clear he absolutely considered her to be his.

Zahar placed the missive on his right hand back on the bedside table.

"So, how do you feel?"

"Huh?" Sana wasn't sure what he referred to. How she felt as his concubine? Or, how she felt about lying in his arms? How she felt about being told to serve a man as his bed toy?

"Your cultivation."

"Ah. It's- I'm not sure."

Zahar smiled, and fondled her waist a little more. She shifted, unsure how to react. "That's alright. I read that the sect master of the Roaring Dragon is in the peak of the 10th realm, trying to ascend. Tell me more about the Roaring Dragon Sect, and the Sect Master."

Cultivation was a game of fractal repetition. Ten stages at every realm. Every ten realms for a single Ascension. Those who reached the Ascension stage was properly immortals. Ten Ascensions for a Single Spark of Divinity, and those in the divinity stage were properly deities. Above the divinities were the Great Laws. The lower worlds like this are still stuck in the realms, and have not even seen the greatest of the divinities. Of course, there are other detours around such paths.

The path to the heavens could take many forms, and Zahar had seen many paths throughout his thousands of years.

"Sect Master Qianlong has not yet ascended, though I hear he is trying hard. His predecessor, Sect Master Zhonglong was a 2nd Ascension Immortal, so he has great shoes to fill." Sana answered. "Though he is immensely powerful, the Roaring Dragon Sect is still threatened by the Great Queen of the Frozen Peaks, the Lord of the White Tiger Temple, and the Master of the Sword Saint Sect. All of these three masters are 1st Ascension Immortals. Right now, among the Fifteen Great Sect Masters of the Empire, Sect Master Qianlong is ranked 6th in terms of strength. "

Zahar smiled at the naked beauty in her arms. "Sana Eshtar."

Sana froze. Why did he call her name like that.

"You shall read these missives, and explain them to me, every other day, in bed. Naked." Zahar smiled wickedly.

"-what." Her face was as red as a tomato.

"I like my briefings from a beauty, and your voice is pleasant. It's makes the information much easier to digest." Zahar squeezed her waist and handed her the missive.

She yelped.

***

Zahar spent the time mostly cultivating, while Sana was able to return to her normal duties. After that day, her mother pulled her to her room to talk to her about 'the nighttime duties', a conversation which left her entirely beet red, and unable to focus.

Still, Sana obediently did as Zahar requested, reading the missives and explaining what news came from the lands beyond their city walls.

After the talk with her mother, Sana wondered when he would consummate their relationship as master and concubine, but since he didn't do anything beyond touching and feeling up her body, she wasn't sure whether she should take the lead.

Her mother strongly suggested her to do so, to hold onto the rising dragon as he rises through the world.

The week passed quickly, and on the fifth day, the entire city felt it when the City Lord broke through to the 5th realm.

His 5th realm power could be felt in the entire city. His subjects and servants all came to pay their respects, and Sana, naturally did so as well.

Sana knelt in the waiting hall outside of her father's chambers, waiting for her father to emerge from secluded cultivation. The door slammed open, and they all saw a bright, smiling City Lord.

"Ah. 5th realm!" He stretched. Power coursed through his veins. "Truly worthy of a high grade Flawless Bloodfire Pill."

His eyes surveyed his subjects, and all of them congratulated him. "We congratulate the city lord for his amazing breakthrough!"

He laughed, and then his eyes darted to Sana. "Ah, my daughter! The one who made this day possible! Have you consummated your relationship with that fine, talented young man?"

Sana's face turned absolutely red. How was she supposed to answer her father in public like this? "Father!"

"No worries, no worries. I know you are nervous." The City Lord walked over, clearly elated as his own breakthrough. The rest of the subjects just eyed Sana warily, they were unsure what to say. "Has your mother spoken to you?"

She nodded. "-yes."

"Good. Your mother's got the skills. That's why we have four of you kids. Learn from her."

Sana was so embarrassed she wanted to die. Her father looked at the rest of you subjects. "Alright, the rest of you can withdraw. Let me speak to my daughter. Also, let's do a feast to celebrate my daughter's union."

"Father! Please don't. That won't be necessary." Sana absolutely didn't want a feast. She didn't want to feel like a prize or a trophy that was being handed away.

"Ah. Alright then. No feast. But maids, please have the cooks make a nice dinner tonight. I want everyone in the family to come. Sana, my dearest daughter, would you invite your master to come join us for dinner?"

Sana gulped. "I'll- I'll try."